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INgeBEELD / I-MAGINE
Start date: May 1, 2016, End date: Feb 28, 2017 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Today we live in what the philosopher, Hannah Arendt, imagined as ‘dark times’. The world is so complex, that even famous philosophers use a ‘claire-obscure’ lens as a filter in the hope to gain a small grasp on it. It is a precarious life, full of constant uncertainty. All things which used to guide us – religion, traditional family values and cultural traditions - are breaking down in this globalized world. Multiculturalism and diversity is everywhere. In this world, saturated with endless choices, youngsters are asked to become self-directing managers, deciding for themselves what they want, where they want it and when. However, today this task is not easy. We are surrounded by so many ideas of what should be clear (the right option) and what should be obscure (the wrong option). In the end, it is up to the individual youngster to decide their own route and what is clear (right) and obscure (wrong) for them. The general objective of this project is to capture - via a Clair-obscure lense - our individual daily struggles (e.g. education, unemployment, loneliness) and broader political (e.g. refugee crisis), economic (e.g. poverty, financial crisis) and environmental (e.g. global warming, pollution) problems. Thanks to the help of different forms of art, the youngster will learn to take different perspectives on reality. The ‘Claire- Obscure lense’ allows us to map all alternative signals referring to what is right or wrong in life, discuss them and select those who are important to overcome these struggles. In order to get this project organized, participants will be involved from the very beginning to make sure that everyone finds their own "clair" and "obscure" in the project. This gives the opportunity to discover what the youngsters really want to learn during this exchange. We shall use the language of art and return to one of the most important masters of this technique: Rembrandt Van Rijn. By having evaluations at different times throughout the project we make sure the youngsters are creating things they really want and thus competences they learn will be far more sustainable, and will have many positive outcomes in the long-term. Eventually, by sharing experiences, acquiring new competences (or strengthening them) and exchanging between different cultures, the youngsters will gain an insight into themselves, and all of this with an understanding for others, by recognizing mutual images to IMAGINE. INgeBEELD/IMAGINE is a youth exchange with Belgium and Bonaire (The Netherlands). The project will take place in autumn 2016 (from the 30th of October until the 12th of November) with 14 Belgian youngsters and 14 Bonairian youngsters (between 18-27 years old) , together with each 2 group leaders.The whole group is intensively involved in the organisation of the exchange program itself e.g. coming up with the project, designing its contents, preparing the activities, as well as organising the workshops during the program. They form several groups to work out the individual parts, but always in an open dialogue with the other participants from Belgium and Bonaire. The whole exchange includes artistic and intercultural workshops, activities focusing on group cohesion, discussions, trips and dips into the culture of Bonaire. Through Clair and Obscure, Rembrandt-related and other forms of art we aim to find a collective and sustainable voice. All artistic creations and experiences will be documented through images made individually (charcoal, drawing, sketching), via intercultural encounters within the participating group (e.g. photographs, time lapses, improvisation theatre), via encouters with the local community the use of documentairy, photography, sketching, and other methods appears to happen quickly during the exchange. In the end, we hope the creation of these images will provoke some inner transformations in how youngsters look at the world. This project will provide the youngsters with a lens to look through and decide what can be illuminated, and what left obscure. In the long term, the youngster will become more aware their desired route in life and how to pursue it. In order to reach this goal, this project focuses on the imagination as a medium to encourage debate. Firstly, we hope to provoke some reflection. Second, we hope to verbalize these issues in a discussion between participating groups, the local community and other European countries. Finally, by documenting and bringing this image to the world we hope to create a European public forum where youngsters can gather and share their experiences.
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